RE: Number of renters limited, Jan 12 New rental licensing bylaws proposed by the City of Waterloo expect small homeowner-landlords to provide better accommodation than Jerry Seinfeld and Dr. Sheldon Cooper enjoy in their high-rise apartments. Minimum proposed standards include a separate 35 sq ft Dining Room, a 145 sq ft Living Room and a 45 sq ft Kitchen.

In today’s “recovering economy” many homeowners sacrifice comfort for necessity by renting out a few rooms to students and newly graduated or entry-level workers. The City of Waterloo would subject these small entrepreneurs to unnecessary renovations, criminal record checks, a detailed application process, yearly licensing fees and the authority of additional city inspectors entering their personal homes. Homeowner-landlords have a vested interest in renting to good tenants so licensing is redundant and financially punitive.

The City of Waterloo provides no proof that current bylaws have been vigorously supported, that evening and weekend enforcement is tasked to bylaw officers, that frequent non-compliance has led to acceleration of repercussions against the recidivists and that current bylaws cannot be upgraded where needed.

The City of Waterloo’s Map 4 of bylaw complaints proves that bylaw infractions are concentrated primarily in a ten-block radius surrounding the UW, Conestoga College and WLU. The law-abiding residents of the area, many of them students, deserve support now, not more red tape later. Can the City of Waterloo provide their reasoning regarding why licensing the entire city will encourage the existing non-compliant few to comply with the new regulations? —Elizabeth Lynn